Tuesday, January 16, 2007

It's not the Government.

Presumably, Whitman County's commissioners strive to further the legitimate interests of their constituents, and act in ways that will help to make life comfortable and productive for the residents of their county.

But one may wonder. If Whitman County residents are lacking adequate retail shopping opportunities, why not promote development of a shopping mall as near as practicable to the principal residential areas of the county, rather than at the very edge of the county some eight miles distant from any such cluster of Whitman County residences?

I doubt very much that Latah County residents feel a pressing need for a shopping mall located immediately across the state line about a quarter-mile from the Palouse Mall, Wal-Mart, Deranleau's, et cetera. Perusing the patronage source analysis undergirding Jerry Finch's shopping mall dream, along with his analysis of Moscow's presumed currently unmet retail shopping facility needs, would be an interesting exercise. I believe we deserve to see both.

Leonard C. Johnson, Moscow

What does Leonard not understand about development? Whitman County is simply getting out of the business of stopping development. Developers develop, not government.

Does anyone really have to ask why Hawkins likes their location? It is because the West edge of Moscow is already a shopping area. Stores want to be where people are. Maybe if thirty years ago Pullman and Whitman county had not been so anti-growth, we could have a large shopping center, a WalMart and other stores that the Hawkins development would like to locate next to. But Moscow won that lottery and they get to have the Hawkins development near them.

Even though we get the tax from the sales at the Hawkins development, you better bet Moscow will still benefit by all the spill-over shoppers.

1 comment:

It's a good thing Leonard Johnson doesn't vote in Whitman County, or else Jerry Finch might be worried. Instead it's an Oh well, for the Leonard Johnson's. How about worrying about your own elected people? You have plenty to worry about. This morning KQQQ reported that Moscow didn't allocate enough money to update their comprehensive plan. Perhaps if Moscow would stop spending money on re-working their neighbors comprehensive plan, they would have enough for their own.